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By Jon Machota 43m ago
With the start of NFL free agency a little over a week away and the draft less than two months down the road, we’re taking a look at the Cowboys roster to see where it has depth and where it will need help in the near future.
The third item in our nine-part series focuses on the running back position.
How they performed in 2019:
Considering that the Cowboys were fresh off making Ezekiel Elliott the NFL’s highest-paid running back, expectations were very high for the position. Add in the return of Travis Frederick at center, another Day 2 draft pick spent on an offensive lineman in Connor McGovern and a fourth-round pick used on running back Tony Pollard, and this had the ability to be the league’s best rushing attack.
However, the Ravens, 49ers, Titans and Seahawks all averaged more yards per game than the Cowboys’ 134.6. The Ravens, Cardinals and Titans averaged more yards per carry than Dallas’ 4.8.
In Elliott’s first season playing all 16 games, he finished fourth in rushing at 1,357 yards. He won the rushing title in 2016 (1,631 yards) and 2018 (1,434 yards) while playing 15 games in each.
The biggest difference for Elliott in Year 4 was an absence of explosive runs. He had 14 rushing attempts go for 20 or more yards in 2016 and 11 in 2018. Last season, he only managed four. Elliott had three runs of 40 or more yards during his rookie year and one in 2018. He didn’t come up with a single run of 40 yards or more last season.
Elliott scored 14 touchdowns in 2019 (12 rushing, 2 receiving), which tied him for fifth-most in the NFL, trailing only Green Bay’s Aaron Jones (19), Carolina’s Christian McCaffrey (19), Tennessee’s Derrick Henry (18) and Baltimore’s Mark Ingram (15).
Pollard finished his rookie season with 455 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Both scores and over half of his total yards came in two games, wins over the Dolphins and Rams. Despite being an outstanding receiver in college, Pollard only caught 15 passes for 107 yards and one touchdown during his rookie season.
Bottom line: The Cowboys needed more out of their running game in 2019, particularly on the road when the passing game wasn’t having much success. In losses at New Orleans, New England, Chicago and Philadelphia, Dallas averaged just 72.5 yards per game on the ground. While those were all top-10 run defenses, better results are expected with all of the investments the Cowboys have made in their running game over the years. Running the ball better in at least one of those games would’ve led to a playoff berth.
The future:
The biggest question in regards to the Cowboys’ rushing attack entering this season is this: How will new head coach Mike McCarthy utilize the most talented running back he’s ever had?
While in Green Bay, McCarthy’s top backs were Ahman Green at the end of his career, Ryan Grant and Eddie Lacy. Elliott is a more complete and more talented player than any of those three.
McCarthy’s West Coast offenses have been focused on making quarterbacks like Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers successful. Since becoming Cowboys head coach, McCarthy has stressed that Elliott and the running game will be a significant part of his plan to make QB Dak Prescott successful.
“Making a quarterback successful, I think, is really common sense,” McCarthy said two weeks ago. “It’s really part of the bylaws and how the West Coast offense was designed. So that’s what I’ll always believe in because he touches the ball every play. He’s the player that’s going to have the ball in his hands at the most critical part of the game in the fourth quarter. As far as your playmakers, you’ve got five premier positions. Obviously, running back is one of them.
“You get the ball to your playmaker. Zeke will touch the football plenty in our offense. When I say, ‘It’s all about the quarterback,’ it’s not taking away (from Elliott). Someone has to give the ball to the playmaker. So it makes sense to develop that way. Zeke will be a primary focus for us offensively.”
McCarthy and second-year offensive coordinator Kellen Moore will be tasked with not only keeping Elliott heavily involved but finding ways to get Pollard more opportunities.
As long as Elliott is healthy, he’ll get the bulk of the running back touches. Pollard brings a different dimension to the position, though, which has many wanting to see more plays designed with both on the field at the same time. Moore seems open to that idea, but it will depend on what McCarthy’s plans are after free agency and the draft.
During McCarthy’s 13 seasons as Green Bay’s head coach (2006 to 2018), the Packers were never in the top 10 in rushing attempts. Green Bay’s average under McCarthy was 413 carries per season, including a league-low 333 during his final season.
To compare, since Elliott was drafted by the Cowboys in 2016, Dallas has averaged 467 rushing attempts per season, including 499 in 2016.
The expectations are that McCarthy will run a little more than he did in Green Bay because of the roster he inherited, but it’s unlikely he’ll run as much as Jason Garrett’s teams did from 2014 with DeMarco Murray to 2019 with Elliott.
How things could change this offseason:
Having a three-time Pro Bowler in Elliott and a talented backup in Pollard makes this one of the deepest positions on the roster. No significant changes are expected. Those two will see the bulk of the workload. Elliott is under contract through the 2026 season, having signed a six-year, $90 million contract last year. He should be around through the 2022 season at the very least; even if he declines significantly, the cap penalty for moving on from him would be too significant to part ways until then. Pollard is signed through 2022.
The only notable change that could come is at fullback. McCarthy has always had fullbacks on his rosters. The Cowboys have a team option on Jamize Olawale. If McCarthy is looking for a different type of fullback, perhaps the Cowboys go in a different direction at the position in free agency or via trade.
With the start of NFL free agency a little over a week away and the draft less than two months down the road, we’re taking a look at the Cowboys roster to see where it has depth and where it will need help in the near future.
The third item in our nine-part series focuses on the running back position.
How they performed in 2019:
Considering that the Cowboys were fresh off making Ezekiel Elliott the NFL’s highest-paid running back, expectations were very high for the position. Add in the return of Travis Frederick at center, another Day 2 draft pick spent on an offensive lineman in Connor McGovern and a fourth-round pick used on running back Tony Pollard, and this had the ability to be the league’s best rushing attack.
However, the Ravens, 49ers, Titans and Seahawks all averaged more yards per game than the Cowboys’ 134.6. The Ravens, Cardinals and Titans averaged more yards per carry than Dallas’ 4.8.
In Elliott’s first season playing all 16 games, he finished fourth in rushing at 1,357 yards. He won the rushing title in 2016 (1,631 yards) and 2018 (1,434 yards) while playing 15 games in each.
The biggest difference for Elliott in Year 4 was an absence of explosive runs. He had 14 rushing attempts go for 20 or more yards in 2016 and 11 in 2018. Last season, he only managed four. Elliott had three runs of 40 or more yards during his rookie year and one in 2018. He didn’t come up with a single run of 40 yards or more last season.
Elliott scored 14 touchdowns in 2019 (12 rushing, 2 receiving), which tied him for fifth-most in the NFL, trailing only Green Bay’s Aaron Jones (19), Carolina’s Christian McCaffrey (19), Tennessee’s Derrick Henry (18) and Baltimore’s Mark Ingram (15).
Pollard finished his rookie season with 455 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Both scores and over half of his total yards came in two games, wins over the Dolphins and Rams. Despite being an outstanding receiver in college, Pollard only caught 15 passes for 107 yards and one touchdown during his rookie season.
Bottom line: The Cowboys needed more out of their running game in 2019, particularly on the road when the passing game wasn’t having much success. In losses at New Orleans, New England, Chicago and Philadelphia, Dallas averaged just 72.5 yards per game on the ground. While those were all top-10 run defenses, better results are expected with all of the investments the Cowboys have made in their running game over the years. Running the ball better in at least one of those games would’ve led to a playoff berth.
The future:
The biggest question in regards to the Cowboys’ rushing attack entering this season is this: How will new head coach Mike McCarthy utilize the most talented running back he’s ever had?
While in Green Bay, McCarthy’s top backs were Ahman Green at the end of his career, Ryan Grant and Eddie Lacy. Elliott is a more complete and more talented player than any of those three.
McCarthy’s West Coast offenses have been focused on making quarterbacks like Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers successful. Since becoming Cowboys head coach, McCarthy has stressed that Elliott and the running game will be a significant part of his plan to make QB Dak Prescott successful.
“Making a quarterback successful, I think, is really common sense,” McCarthy said two weeks ago. “It’s really part of the bylaws and how the West Coast offense was designed. So that’s what I’ll always believe in because he touches the ball every play. He’s the player that’s going to have the ball in his hands at the most critical part of the game in the fourth quarter. As far as your playmakers, you’ve got five premier positions. Obviously, running back is one of them.
“You get the ball to your playmaker. Zeke will touch the football plenty in our offense. When I say, ‘It’s all about the quarterback,’ it’s not taking away (from Elliott). Someone has to give the ball to the playmaker. So it makes sense to develop that way. Zeke will be a primary focus for us offensively.”
McCarthy and second-year offensive coordinator Kellen Moore will be tasked with not only keeping Elliott heavily involved but finding ways to get Pollard more opportunities.
As long as Elliott is healthy, he’ll get the bulk of the running back touches. Pollard brings a different dimension to the position, though, which has many wanting to see more plays designed with both on the field at the same time. Moore seems open to that idea, but it will depend on what McCarthy’s plans are after free agency and the draft.
During McCarthy’s 13 seasons as Green Bay’s head coach (2006 to 2018), the Packers were never in the top 10 in rushing attempts. Green Bay’s average under McCarthy was 413 carries per season, including a league-low 333 during his final season.
To compare, since Elliott was drafted by the Cowboys in 2016, Dallas has averaged 467 rushing attempts per season, including 499 in 2016.
The expectations are that McCarthy will run a little more than he did in Green Bay because of the roster he inherited, but it’s unlikely he’ll run as much as Jason Garrett’s teams did from 2014 with DeMarco Murray to 2019 with Elliott.
How things could change this offseason:
Having a three-time Pro Bowler in Elliott and a talented backup in Pollard makes this one of the deepest positions on the roster. No significant changes are expected. Those two will see the bulk of the workload. Elliott is under contract through the 2026 season, having signed a six-year, $90 million contract last year. He should be around through the 2022 season at the very least; even if he declines significantly, the cap penalty for moving on from him would be too significant to part ways until then. Pollard is signed through 2022.
The only notable change that could come is at fullback. McCarthy has always had fullbacks on his rosters. The Cowboys have a team option on Jamize Olawale. If McCarthy is looking for a different type of fullback, perhaps the Cowboys go in a different direction at the position in free agency or via trade.
